Book Review: "Thieves Fall Out" by Gore Vidal

Gore Vidal is not an author that most people would associate with pulps. No doubt a classic author, he’s known for works of a completely different nature. But this year, Hard Case Crime re-publishes Vidal’s long-forgotten pulp novel that he wrote in 1953, when he was only 28. “Thieves Fall Out”, written under the pseudonym ‘Cameron Kay’, may not be the Vidal you know, but it’s definitely an intriguing read for fans of pulp fiction.

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I got this review copy from Titan Books and I have to say I absolutely love these Hard Case Crime books. Just look at this. That Glen Orbik cover is fantastic, the way this is printed is awesome and the whole design of it is beautiful. I have quite a few Hard Case Crime books, and each one of them not only looks great, but they’re all highly enjoyable reads, from authors old and new. I wanted to get this out of the way first, because this book is no different. A good pulp never really slows down, gets you hooked, and shouldn’t take more than 2 or 3 evenings to read. This is a good pulp novel.

“Thieves Fall Out” takes place in the 1950s Cairo, where an American army veteran finds himself entangled in a scheme to smuggle a priceless ancient necklace out of Egypt. Our hero is Pete Wells, and we meet him when he wakes up in a brothel, after a night of drinking that left his memory with a few holes. Pete’s biggest problem, though, is that he was robbed and he hasn’t got a penny to his name.

After the American consulate proves to be less than helpful, Pete goes out looking for work. He meets a British man, who just may have a job for somebody with Pete’s skills (Pete was a boxing champion in his unit, and he’s also a decorated soldier, who proved himself during World War II). Soon enough, Pete’s on his way to Luxor, where he is to meet with a boss of a crime organization, and smuggle the necklace out of the country. Along the way, though, there are murder attempts, femme fatales, and real love, that gets in the way of Pete’s mission. While all this happens, the political turmoil in Egypt is becoming more and more serious, and a revolution is about to begin.

This is the basic premise of this action-packed book full of backstabbing and intricate schemes. Revealing anything else would spoil too much, but rest assured this is a very fun read.

Vidal’s/Kay’s style in this book is very “classic pulp”. The characters are well-defined, colorful, and they really help drive the story. This helps, because the plot itself is quite simple. That’s not a bad thing at all, though. The setting, the great descriptions, and the fast pace really do a lot for “Thieves Fall Out”.

This book is also not without its faults. One of the villains, a policeman by the name of Mohammed Ali, is a homosexual, and this book’s attitude towards homosexuals is very much rooted in the 1950s. Ali is basically an evil guy, who tries to molest the straight Pete Wells several times. Your mileage may vary, but to me this is something that’s clearly based on the old, homophobic attitudes of mid-20th century. Thankfully, this isn’t so in-your-face to make the whole book unenjoyable. It’s just a reminder that the 1950s weren’t as great as popculture likes to portray them.

“Thieves Fall Out” is a must read for Hard Case Crime fans, and a title that should be quite a curiosity for fans of Vidal’s main body of work. I really enjoyed reading it, and the setting made it stand out from your average pulps. It’s definitely worth a read, so if you want to spend a couple evenings reading something fun, then pick this up!

Gore Vidal fan? Pulp fan? What did you think of "Thieves Fall Out"? The book is available right now, so pick it up and leave us a comment, saying how you liked it!